The Focus family car (Ford Focus 1.8 LX 5dr)

Member Name: blissman70

Product:	Ford Focus 1.8 LX 5dr
Date:	27/10/08 (106 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice easy drive, low insurence group and cheap to run

Disadvantages: rear seat and handbrake planning

This review is about the Focus 'C-Max' LX 1.8 which I have owned for two years now so I feel I can offer my honest opinion about the drive itself.


* Firstly some technical bits ...

Top speed is around 120mph with a good enough 125 bhp (break horse power) under the bonnet, adequate for a small people carrier, giving you 0-60 in about 12 seconds or so...
It has four airbags, (driver, front passenger, mid left and right for rear passengers) and ABS.
And at a cost of around £12 grand on the road for the basic modal, (although I did add few hundred quid when I opted for the panther black metallic paint), it is worth the money...


* MY OPINION

I bought the c-max in late 2006 as I was in need of a more reliable car than the dreaded Vauxhall Vectra I was forced to drive round in.
I had to keep to the larger size vehicles as I have a wife and two little cherubs to cart around so i needed something as spacious as the Vectra.
The Focus c-max was suggested to me by a friend as he was, and still is, an avid Ford fan, at present driving a Focus 1.6 zetec.

I had taken a few cars out on test drives, such as the galaxy and the Mondeo, I even test drove a Zifira, even though it had the hated Vauxhall logo on the front.
The Mondeo was top of my list for space and drive until i jumped behind the wheel of the Focus C-Max. This is a family car with everything one requires.
To drive one of these is a delight in itself with the power assisted steering and the gear lever in just the right position, slightly further forward than the norm, almost positioned on the dash-board.

The space around you is excellent, with more headroom than the taller of you really need and seats which scream comfort on every corner, with so many ways to move the driving seat, using the little handle between the door and the seat, to find your ideal position for your perfect drive.
There is plenty of space for the kids in the back with loads of leg room so less kicking the back of your seat,( which annoys the hell out of me that much that I often threaten to put the kids in the boot if they keep kicking my back... although my youngest simply smiles and tells me to "go on then"... but I never have...honest...well not yet though...)
The rear seats can folded forwards, (but are then held in position by a hook on a bungee rope, which I did feel as if the designers just rushed that little detail as they were running out of time) although they can be totally removed fro the vehicle if needs be, (although it can be a little awkward so I do advise help with removel unless you want to pull your back out).

And as for the boot...well it is very spacious indeed, plenty enough room for the family suitcases on a long haul and can be accessed from inside the car by opening the middle seat in the back, which is good for grabbing a few drinks if he passengers are getting a little thirsty...

The C-Max is a pleasure to drive on a long journey and it enjoys the motorway as if it was made for it.
The clutch is very light underfoot allowing gear change to happen smoothly and quickly... giving a very easy flowing ride with less jerks and bumps...(although I suppose that would depend on the driver I suppose)


In all this car is probably the best family car i have driven, although i am tempted to test drive the S-Max to see how they compare, but overall i would recommend the C-Max to anyone who is looking for a good size family car which is as cheap to run round town as it is on long journeys.

As for reliability, well it has never let me down in the 2 years I have owned it (touch wood), but like all cars, if you have a regular service then they tend to be very reliable indeed...


* DOWNSIDE...

I had to really struggle to find a fault about this one and I finally came up with a singel complaint... it is the position of the handbrake, situated right next to the passenger seat, which is sometimes awkward to apply when your passengers jacket hangs over the seat due to a heavy object in their pockets.

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Other than that this car is a well engineered piece of machinery, giving a nice easy drive and splendid manoeuvrability... the old saying of 'turning on a sixpence' really does apply to this vehicle.

Summary: Speed isn't everything, just as long as the drives pleasing...

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